New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter said he intends to be on the field when the Saints face off against the Green Bay Packers and their potent passing attack on Thursday, Sept. 8. But he expects to be sidelined for the first couple of weeks of training camp while his surgically repaired left knee recovers.

Rusty Costanza / The Times-PicayuneTracy Porter, left, who is recovering from an injury, tosses the ball in his hands while talking to Gregg Williams, defensive coordinator, during practice at the New Orleans Saints training camp in Metairie on Saturday.

"That's my expected timetable. I believe that's the coaches' expected timetable. That's the goal," said Porter, who had a "clean-up" procedure performed on the knee a few weeks after last season. "That's the whole goal, to play Week 1. But in between time I've got to get some type of practice in."

Porter didn't get into specific details about the surgery but described it as a "routine clean-up" and said the recovery has gone as planned.

Last year, Porter missed four weeks in October with torn lateral meniscus in the knee. He didn't immediately have the surgery after the season, but after a few weeks, "it wasn't feeling right."

"Now I'm feeling really good, and they just want to take it slow with me," said Porter, who said it's been tough to stand and watch the first two practices. "Competitive-wise, it's always frustrating (to sit out). But everything happens for a reason. Eventually I'll be out there."